By late Thursday, the National Weather Service had issued a blizzard warning from 6 a.m. Friday morning until 1 p.m. Saturday, with wind gusts up to 45 mph, creating dangerous driving conditions with visibilities near zero in white-out conditions.

Consolidated Edison, a main utility company for the New York region, said it is preparing additional crews to deal with potential power outages and advised customers to stay clear of downed power lines.

Long island Power Authority, which received intense criticism over its handling of Superstorm Sandy, also said it is preparing.

My brother called me last night , he was on his way home to Fla. stopped at south of the border said at least a hundred tree trimmer trucks headed north on I 95 . He wanted to know how long the power was going to be out this time. NU playing the game canceling all vacations telling everybody to make survival kits. The panic set in and the lines at the gas stations out to the road, thank god for the media otherwise the rows of water and toilet paper at the supermarket would never get renewed.